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A Night in The Lonesome October: Episode #17
A Night in The Lonesome October: Episode #17
A Night
in the
Lonesome
October
Sanctum Secorum Podcast
Episode #17 Companion
Written By
Jen Brinkman
David Baity
Bob Brinkman
Daniel J. Bishop
Interior Art by
Antotoooo
Benjamin Smith
D. Andreas Schmidt-Rhaesa
Su Yeong Kim
Lacy Franks
Todd McGowan
Designed by
Bob Brinkman
Edited by
Jen Brinkman
Published by
Sanctum Media
This product is based on the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game,
published by Goodman Games. This product is published under license.
Dungeon Crawl Classics and DCC RPG are trademarks of Goodman Games.
All rights reserved. For additional information, visit
www.goodman-games.com or contact info@goodman-games.com.
Table of Contents
Lonesome October [Illustration] Todd McGowan page 4
Familiars
Bubo (packrat) Bob Brinkman page 5
Pack Rat [Illustration] page 5
Cheeter (squirrel) Bob Brinkman page 5
Squirrel [Illustration] page 5
Graymalk (black cat) Bob Brinkman page 6
Black Cat on Pumpkin [Illustration] page 6
Needle (vampire bat) Bob Brinkman page 6
Bat [Illustration] page 6
Nightwind (barn owl) Bob Brinkman page 7
Barn Owl [Illustration] page 7
Quicklime (black snake) Bob Brinkman page 7
Black Snake [Illustration] page 7
Snuff (hound) Bob Brinkman page 8
Guard Dog [Illustration] page 8
Tekela (albino raven) Bob Brinkman page 8
Don’t Get Too Attached: Parasitic Familiars David Baity page 9
A Horsehair Worm [Photograph] D. Andreas Schmidt-Rhaesa page 10
Cuckoo Wasp [Photograph] Benjamin Smith page 11
Magic Items
The Ripper’s Blade Daniel J. Bishop page 12
Bloody Knife Stock [Photograph] Antotoooo page 12
Wolf Flower Jen Brinkman page 12
Monsters
The Experiment Man Daniel J. Bishop page 13
Frankenstein [Illustration] Su Yeong Kim page 13
The Thing in the Wardrobe Bob Brinkman page 13
The Monster in Your Closet [Illustration] Lacy Franks page 13
Bubo: Init +1; Atk bite +1 melee (1 hp); AC 12; HD 1d3; MV 60’; Act
1d20; SP animal speech, bindable, infravision 60’, magically aware;
SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +2; AL N.
Animal speech: Bubo is highly intelligent and is capable of conversing with any other type of animal.
Bindable: Nothing more than a highly clever packrat, Bubo may be bound as an ordinary familiar and will
jump at the opportunity.
Magically aware: Bubo is already knowledgeable in the basic workings of magic and has the innate ability
to detect magic (as per the spell) with a spell check result of 18.
Animal speech: As a familiar, Cheeter is capable of conversing with any other type of animal.
Familiar (arcane): As an arcane familiar, Cheeter knows the spell fly, and grants his master the ability to
cast this spell.
Glider: While not a flying squirrel, Cheeter has been granted the ability to safely glide through the air (via
his being shadow bound).
Human speech: From the hour of midnight until sunrise, Cheeter is capable of speaking to his master.
Shadow bound: In order to grant Cheeter his heightened intelligence, his shadow was magically removed.
This resulted in him losing his natural instincts and mannerisms. Cheeter’s resulting unhappiness gives
him a -1 to all Will saves.
Page 5
Graymalk (black cat)
“The cat Graymalk came slinking about, pussyfoot, peering in our
windows. Ordinarily, I have little against cats. I can take them or leave
them, I mean. But Graymalk belongs to Crazy Jill who lives over the hill,
in towards town, and Graymalk was spying for her mistress, of course. I
growled to let her know she had been spotted.”
- A Night in the Lonesome October, Roger Zelazny
Graymalk: Init +3; Atk bite +4 melee (1d6) or claws x2 (1d4); AC 14;
HD 2d4+4; MV 40’; Act 1d20 or 2d16; SP animal speech, familiar
(guardian), familiar traits, human speech, infravision 100’, move silently,
patron bond; SV Special; AL C.
Animal speech: As a familiar, Graymalk is capable of conversing with any other type of animal.
Familiar (guardian): Graymalk is able to provide assistance in the preparation of ritual magic and adds +1
to the resulting spell check. Unlike ordinary focal familiars, Graymalk’s bond does not allow her mistress
to see through her eyes. Graymalk has a d12 crit die and rolls on crit table III.
Human speech: From the hour of midnight until sunrise, Graymalk is capable of speaking to her mistress.
Patron bond: Graymalk is bonded to the High Purring One, the ancient patron of cats who dwells in a
timeless portion of the Dreamlands known as the rose-crystal Palace of the Seventy Delights.
Move silently: Graymalk gains a +8 bonus to rolls involving silent movement. In addition, Graymalk grants
her mistress a +4 bonus.
Needle: Init +3; Atk bite +1 melee (1d4); AC 14; HD 1d4+2; MV 5’ or fly 100’; Act 1d20; SP animal
speech, exceptional hearing, familiar (arcane), familiar traits, infravision 100’, human speech; SV Special;
AL C.
Animal speech: As a familiar, Needle is capable of conversing with any other type of animal.
Exceptional hearing: Needle gains a +8 bonus to rolls involving hearing. In addition, Needle grants his
master a +4 bonus.
Familiar (arcane): As an arcane familiar, Needle is able to provide assistance in the preparation of ritual
magic and adds +1 to the resulting spell check.
Human speech: From the hour of midnight until sunrise, Needle is capable of speaking to her mistress.
Page 6
Nightwind (barn owl)
“He swiveled his head around backwards to think, then said, “That
sounds fair. It would save us all time. Very well. You know of my
masters, and I know both of yours. That’s four.”
- A Night in the Lonesome October, Roger Zelazny
Nightwind: Init +3; Atk bite +1 melee (1d4); AC 14; HD 1d4+2; MV 10’
or fly 100’; Act 1d20; SP animal speech, dual familiar, familiar (arcane),
familiar traits, human speech, nightvision, patron bond; SV Special; AL
C.
Dual familiar: Nightwind is bonded to a pair of wizards and grants half of his hit point total to each of them.
Familiar (arcane): As an arcane familiar, Nightwind is able to provide assistance in the preparation of
ritual magic and adds +1 to the resulting spell check for each of his masters.
Nightvision: Nightwind’s vision at night is equal to that of a human in broad daylight and he can make out
things from over a mile away. Nightwind shares nightvision 200’ with his masters.
Human speech: From the hour of midnight until sunrise, Nightwind is capable of speaking to his masters.
Saving throws: Nightwind uses the higher of the available saving throws of his masters.
Quicklime: Init +1; Atk bite +4 melee (1d6); AC 14; HD 2d4+4; MV 50’; Act 1d20; SP animal speech,
familiar (guardian), familiar traits, hide within, human speech, immune to damage from acid; SV Special;
AL L.
Animal speech: As a familiar, Quicklime is capable of conversing with any other type of animal.
Familiar (guardian): Quicklime is able to provide assistance in the preparation of ritual magic and adds +1
to the resulting spell check. Unlike ordinary focal familiars, Quicklime’s bond does not allow his master to
see through his eyes. Quicklime has a d12 crit die and rolls on crit table III.
Hide within: Quicklime is capable of entering his master’s body via the mouth and taking residence in the
stomach.
Human speech: From the hour of midnight until sunrise, Quicklime is capable of speaking to his master.
Page 7
Saving throws: Familiars use the saving throws of their masters.
Snuff (hound)
"I am a watchdog. My name is Snuff. I live with my master
Jack outside of London now. I like Soho very much at night with
its smelly fogs and dark streets. It is silent then and we go for
long walks. Jack is under a curse from long ago and must do
much of his work at night to keep worse things from happening. I
keep watch while he is about it. If someone comes, I howl.”
- A Night in the Lonesome October, Roger Zelazny
Animal speech: As a familiar, Snuff is capable of conversing with any other type of animal.
Familiar (guardian): Snuff is able to provide assistance in the preparation of ritual magic and adds +1 to
the resulting spell check. Unlike ordinary focal familiars, Snuff’s bond does not allow his master to see
through his eyes. Snuff has a d12 crit die and rolls on crit table III. Snuff’s bite counts as a magic weapon.
Heightened senses (smell): As a dog, Snuff is capable of discerning a large number of scents and
following an individual scent over great distances. Snuff receives +10 on rolls relating to scents.
Human speech: From the hour of midnight until sunrise, Snuff is capable of speaking to his master.
Patron bond: Snuff is bonded to Growler, the patron of dogs who dwells in a wooded portion of the
Dreamlands known as “Dognappery”, to the west of the River Shai and below the Gate of Deeper
Slumber.
Ritual aid: Snuff is capable of working out complex spacial equations in his head and, in his mind’s eye,
can overlay them upon an image of nearby terrain. Snuff grants an additional +2 to the resulting spell
check when ritual magic is performed in such locations.
Tekela: Init +2; Atk peck +1 melee (1d4); AC 14; HD 1d4+2; MV 10’ or fly 60’; Act 1d20; SP animal
speech, familiar (demonic), familiar traits, human speech, immune to disease, immune to poison, SV
Special; AL C.
Animal speech: As a familiar, Tekela is capable of conversing with any other type of animal.
Familiar (demonic): Tekela is highly attuned to negative energy and corruption. Should her master roll a
natural 1 on a spell check, half of any corruption is absorbed by Tekela, rounding in the wizard’s favor. In
addition, should Tekela’s master die, his soul is transferred into her body as a cohabitant for all eternity.
Human speech: From the hour of midnight until sunrise, Tekela is capable of speaking to her master.
Page 8
Don’t Get Too Attached:
Parasitic Familiars
“Want to dig me out? Fine, I’ll just burrow deeper. Organ meat is much tastier anyway.”
Nothing gets the skin to crawling like the sight of something…alien wriggling just underneath the skin.
The faint tickle is a constant reminder that the microscopic fiend who decided you’d make a great host is
always there, and just under the surface.
What if these parasites found their way into the primordial pool arcane Wizards use to draw forth their
familiars? What if said parasite attached itself to that sleek black cat destined to seek you out for a
lifetime bond, only to have its invasive “visitor” that, up til now, has remained dormant while waiting for the
summons from an unsuspecting Wizard?
No one in their right mind would agree to a companion that makes the summoning Wizard a new
home; thus parasitic familiars find and infect typical animals. They grow while slowly leeching the life
away from the poor tortured beast until the familiar-to-be is summoned. Once the find familiar spell is cast
and the called beast begins its journey, the parasite traveling within the Wizard’s future companion begins
the final stage of infestation. In a horrific act, the parasite sucks the last ounce of life from the poor animal
just as it arrives from the summoning.
The unsuspecting Wizard, more times than not, will investigate the carnage, often giving the parasitic
organism a moment of surprise where it lashes out, infecting the new host. The end result is a Wizard
with a familiar that takes as much as it gives.
Judges should consider “inserting” a parasitic familiar with Wizards who have bonded with patrons
aligned with Chaos, or who have experienced the effects of corruption. Truly twisted players may request
one of the vile travelers as well.
Below you’ll find three sample parasitic familiars, but the author encourages judges to create their own
creepy parasites!
Cymothoa
The cymothoa is a microscopic crustacean that lurks in small ponds and similar bodies of water. When
the unsuspecting animal stops for a drink, the creature uses tiny barbs to latch onto the soft tissue of the
new host’s esophagus. The parasite slowly makes its climb back, until it finds and makes its final nesting
spot; the poor animal’s tongue. The creature burrows with claws that also serve as microscopic straws,
which it uses to slowly suck the blood from the host’s tongue. Over time, the tongue withers and falls
away, leaving the cymothoa to burrow into the newly made space. Oddly enough, the creature attaches to
the exposed nerve of the animal, acting as a surrogate tongue. The cymothoa continues to drain its host
from this point, keeping the miserable creature alive by a thread until the time of summoning.
Once the Wizard investigates the strange death of the object of his summoning, the cymothoa bursts
into a microscopic cloud of offspring. The Wizard inadvertently breathes in one of the vile parasites, which
eventually works its way to the tongue of the new host. Once attached, the Wizard soon realizes his fate
and gains the following “benefits”:
The cymothoa gains use of the Wizard’s saving throws, should it become subject to attack.
Page 9
Filarial Worms
Filarial worms are delivered by way of the common mosquito. The vile colony starts as microscopic
invaders of the host’s lymphatic system, where they begin to feed and grow. Soon, the glands clog,
preventing the lymph nodes from pushing excess fluids out of the body. Vessels begin to become
obstructed and inflamed. The end result is an ever-worsening case of elephantitis. Once summoned, the
hive-mind finish off the tortured animal being called, and they lie in wait to strike from the remains. The
filarial strike with the speed of a jungle cat, springing out of the corpse with a reach of up to 4’. While
hundreds to thousands lash out, only one worm is required to burrow and travel to the Wizard’s lymphatic
system. The infecting filarial immediately begin laying eggs to renew the colony of the hive-mind.
The infected Wizard soon begins to learn the extent of this infestation, as thousands of faint whispers
begin to invade the psyche of the spellcaster. Wizards benefit from the following “benefits” of the
communion:
Page 10
Emerald Wasp
One of the more drastic parasitic
creatures comes in the form of the
emerald wasp. While most parasites
seek to share the body of the host,
the wasp seeks to invade the mind of
the host, eventually consuming the
jellied brain and leaving the Wizard an
empty husk, under the control of an
alien intelligence.
The wasp begins the cycle of
infection by attacking an animal that it
senses will soon be summoned as a
familiar. The wasp, which is the size
of a child’s fist, attacks with the
element of surprise by means of a
sharp stinger. The first sting is often
given on the spine of the animal,
causing immediate paralysis. With the
host effectively helpless, the parasite
gingerly crawls to the forehead of the
terrified animal. There it strikes with surgical precision, striking the cranium and destroying the majority of
the brain. The wasp remains attached to its host, controlling any movement and directing the animal to
feed, sleep, and perform other functions necessary to keep the body alive until the moment of
summoning.
Once summoned, the wasp detaches and attacks the casting Wizard. The first strike paralyzes the
unsuspecting Wizard, while the second sting acts to destroy all but the basic functions of the new host
body. For all intents and purposes, the Wizard is replaced by an insect-like intelligence. The Wizard no
longer feels emotion, nor does he have need for things that most would normally covet. The player now
finds a unique challenge of playing a Wizard whose mind has been replaced by that of the wasp. The
emerald wasp is highly intelligent and realizes the need to build a circle of allies in addition to
accumulating power in order to better sustain survivability. Wasp-possessed Wizards are often
considered distant and unemotional by those who adventure with them, but can’t deny their natural
prowess when channeling the arcane. Wizards infected by emerald wasps gain the following abilities:
Wasp swarm: Init +4; Atk sting +2 melee (20’ x 20’ area, 1d6 plus poison); AC 12; HD 5d8; hp 30; MV
30’; Act 1d20; SP poison (DC 20 Fort save or target takes additional 1d6 damage); SV Fort +2, Ref +2,
Will +0; AL N.
Page 11
Magic Items
The Ripper’s Blade
This +2 weapon communicates with its owner using empathy.
It exists to prevent Cthulhu and the Great Old Ones from
breaking through to the material world. It bonds to a particular
owner, and grants that owner an extended lifespan of several
centuries. The bonded owner can make it appear in his hand,
or disappear into its sheath, at will, so long as the sheath is
worn. When used in combat, it has a +1d bonus to critical hit
results and increases the wielder’s critical range by 2, so long
as the foe is a servant or supporter of the Elder Gods.
The Ripper’s Blade is one of the instruments used in the Great Game – a special ritual spell duel that
occurs when a full moon falls upon Halloween. The Great Game is an attempt to open a path for the
Great Old Ones to enter the material world. The Ripper’s Blade is an artefact of the Closers, who oppose
the Openers and attempt to keep the Elder Gods separated from our world. When used in the spell duel
that culminates the Great Game, the Ripper’s Blade grants a +2 bonus to the wielder’s spell checks.
This artefact appears to be a long, razor- or scalpel-like blade, doing 1d5 damage (+2 due to
enchantment).
Wolf Flower
If one has an interest in botany and diurnal-nocturnal plant cycles, one knows that very few plants in the
world bloom in moonlight rather than sunlight. The mariphasa lumina is one of these exquisite rarities.
When m. lumina is housed in an environment with no exposure to sun or moon, the seemingly-boring
plant withers. However, when kept near plants of the dicotyledon family, such as lamium album (the white
dead-nettle), m. lumina blooms in the faintest of moonlight exposure, as if the dead-nettle enhances the
dual-leafed plant’s determination to flower. This property is enhanced when cross-pollinated with the
dead-nettle: m. lumina takes on a soft phosphorescence at night.
If one has an interest in botany and folklore, one may deduce the plant to be associated with creatures
that “bloom” in moonlight as well.
Some special green thumbs among humankind have had success in splicing/grafting the two plants
together to create a crossbreed. This version, known to fanatics in the field as the mariphasa lupina
lumina, neither blooms nor gives off bioluminescence on any given evening. Rather, it blooms just once
per lunar cycle, glowing fiercely each time as if to match the bright face of the full moon. Thus it has
earned the nickname, “wolf flower”.
If one has an…”interest” in lycanthropes as well as botany, one may be driven to experimentation with the
exotic and extremely fragile mariphasa lupina lumina in an attempt to control such a creature – or, in rare
cases, to create one.
The proper dosage, once discovered by the interested individual, may allow an afflicted creature to stave
off the primal call of the moon until its next “blooming” cycle, or at the very least, retain his human mental
faculties and reasoning. It may also enable a human to assume the form of such a beast…but there are
no guarantees in this little-explored field.
Page 12
Monsters
The Experiment Man
The creation of the Good Doctor, the Experiment Man is a large,
living humanoid created from corpses and artificial flesh. To
creatures with good senses of smell, the Experiment Man reeks of
death.
The Thing in the Wardrobe is a sinister being summoned from “someplace else” to serve as fodder in
Jack the Ripper’s attempts to keep the gateway closed during the ritual of the great game.
Page 13
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
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Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
System Rules Document Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on original material
by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
DCC RPG, copyright © 2012 Goodman Games, all rights reserved, Visit www.goodman-games.com or contact info@goodman-games.com.
Sanctum Secorum Episode #17 © 2016, Sanctum Media and the individual authors
This product is based on the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game, published by Goodman Games. This product is published under license.
Dungeon Crawl Classics and DCC RPG are trademarks of Goodman Games. All rights reserved. For additional information, visit www.goodman-
games.com or contact info@goodman-games.com.
Page 14
Coming Soon
Episode #18
The People
of
The Pit